Another Montreal telemarketing operation has been convicted under the Federal Competition Act. Telemarketing company Tamec Inc., and its subsidiaries Commercial Information Bank of Canada and Deev Inc., have pleaded guilty to deceptive telemarketing and misleading advertising charges under the Competition Act.

The accused parties pleaded guilty in the Court of Quebec, and were fined $300,000. The Court also imposed an order to be in effect for a period of ten years which prohibits the convicted parties and their officers from engaging in similar deceptive marketing practices. Tamec has also agreed to commit an additional $180,000 towards a remediation program which will offer victims up to $300 each in free goods and services.

Tamec was involved in telemarketing activities aimed at Canadian businesses and government institutions, as well as religious, educational and non-profit organizations across Canada.

The accused parties marketed various business directories, as well as Web-based advertising services under the names Zip411Net, Zip411Com, Affairs411, Business411, Bizcom, Zipcom, Commercial Information Bank of Canada. The telemarketers misrepresented the purpose of telemarketing calls, and telemarketers did not disclose that, by agreeing to accept delivery of one edition of a Tamec business directory, they were actually entering into a multi-edition subscription.